Golfing aid



M. L. HAlT GOLFING AID July 7, 1964 Filed Sept. 19, 1960 United States Patent 3,139,690 GOLFING AID Miriam L. Hait, 1120 W. 29th St., Lorain, Ohio Filed Sept. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 57,028 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-15) This invention pertains to golfing aids and more particularly to a device for marking the location from which a golf ball has been removed for the convenience of participants in a golf contest.

In a game of golf a number of customs and courtesies have developed. Among these is one which determines which of a competing group of two to four golfers playing together has the privilege of putting first after each of the golfers has succeeded in advancing his ball to the putting surface or green. Customarily the golfer whose ball is furthest from the pin and cup is the first to putt. If the ball of another golfer is positioned in or near the path that the furthest ball will traverse in passing towards the cup, or is for some other reason positioned in a place where the first putted ball may strike it, then the first putter has an option. The first putter may ask one or more of the other golfers to either putt out or remove his ball and mark the lie of the ball. The other golfer has the option of either putting first or removing the ball and marking the lie.

It is when this latter option of marking the lie is taken that a problem arises. Normally the object used to mark the balls location is a coin. A considerable delay may be encountered while a coin is found, particularly if the marking golfer is a woman. The delay that often ensues as the golfer fumbles through her purse for a coin is an irritant to the golfer looking for the coin, her companions, and to any following golfers who may be on the fairway Waiting to make their approach shots.

This invention seeks to eliminate the source of this irritation by providing a device specifically designed for marking the lie of a golf ball which device is always immediately at hand when the need for it arises.

This solution is obtained through the provision of a marking device of paramagnetic material, a magnet which normally holds the device in a storage position, and a pin fixed to the magnet to secure the magnet and its supported marking device to the golfers clothing. The marking device when made in its preferred form is a stainless steel disc made of that type of stainless steel which is paramagnetic. The disc is engraved for appearance and to make it personalized. The disc when so constructed conceals the pin and magnet on the wearer and makes an attractive personalized adornment when not serving its function as a marker for a golf ball. When Worn as such an adornment it is always present and immediately available to the golfer when she Wishes to mark the lie of a golf ball.

Another of the features of the invention resides in the fact that it is so simple to manufacture, light-weight, compact and yet attractive. As such the device makes an attractive and simple personalized gift for the golfer who has everything. It is ideal for a promotional giveaway by manufacturers of golfing equipment and the like.

An additional feature of the invention resides in the simplified construction. A cylindrically contoured ceramic magnet is used. A slot extends forwardly from the rear wall of the magnet which slot receives the shank of a suitable pin. The shank and the slot both have expanded portions in the center which are forced together to provide a press fit which permanently and positively connects the pin to the magnet. Thus, the assembly is a simple matter of driving the pin into the provided slot with a drift pin or the like to form a permanent and positive connection.

Other features and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of the device with each of the elements shown in rear perspective;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the device with each of the elements shown in front perspective;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the entire mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, where the size of the device is greatly exaggerated for clarity, a generally cylindrically contoured ceramic magnet is shown at 10. The magnet 10 may be of any suitable permanent magnetic type, but the relatively recently developed ceramic magnets are preferred.

The magnet 10 has a front wall or face 11 which includes an annular ridge 12 projecting outwardly from the remainder of the face. The ridge 12 serves as a supporting surface for a marking wafer 13.

The marking wafer 13 in its preferred and simplest form is a fiat thin disc of suitable paramagnetic material. For reasons of appearance and desirability of the device, the wafer 13 is formed of stainless steel of the type which is paramagnetic. Outer face 14 of the disc 13 preferably carries a personalized engraving 15 to identify the owner and to provide a finished assembly which makes an attractive adornment for the female golfer.

The magnet has a slot 17 which extends forwardly from a rear wall 18 toward the front wall 11. The slot 17 has a base wall 19 about midway between the front and rear walls 11, 18 and parallel to them. The slot has flat side walls 20. The side walls 20 are each planer with the exception of a pair of central portions 21. These central portions each define a segment of a. cylinder which is concentric with outer cylindrical Wall of the magnet 10 and co-axial therewith. From the preceding description it will be seen that the slot 17. is symmetrical about the axis of the magnet 10.

The slot 17 receives base portion 25 of a pin shown generally at 26. The base portion 25 includes an enlarged central part 27 which is pressed into the slot central portion 21. The remainder of the base 25 is snuggly disposed in the base of the slot and wedged between the side walls 20 of the slot 17. In assembly, the base 25 of the pin 26 is driven down in the slot with a suitable drift pin or other tool to cause the pin and magnet to be permanently fixed together by a press connection.

The pin 26 includes a pair of upstanding arms 28, 29. A pin portion 30 is pivotally connected to the arm 28. A suitable pin lock 31, of any of the well-known types, is carried by the arm 29 to selectively connect the pin portion 30 to the arm 29.

While the invention has been described with a great deal of detail, it is believed that it essentially comprises a magnet with a pin secured to it, and a paramagnetic thin wafer of material suitable for marking the lie of a golf ball.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A golfing aid comprising, a generally cylindrically contoured ceramic magnet having front and rear faces, the front face of the magnet including an annular outwardly projecting disc receiving ridge disposed concentrically with the remainder of the magnet, a flat disc of 3 paramagnetic material carried by the magnet in abutment with said rim, said disc having a rear face in such abutment and an engraved front face identifying the owner of the golfing aid, said magnet including a slot extending from the rear face to a slot base wall intermediate the front and rear bases of the magnet, said base Wall being fiat and generally parallel to the front and rear walls of the magnet, said slot including generally planer side Walls disposed substantially normal to the base and extending from the base to the rear Wall of the magnet, each of said planer side Walls include an enlarged central portion contoured to the shape of a segment of a cylinder concentric with the remainder of the magnet, a pin having an elongated base and a pair of upstanding arms at opposite ends of the base, said base including spaced portions adapted to frictionally engage the planer portion of the Walls and an enlarged central portion between the spaced portions, the central portion of the pin defining spaced segments of a cylinder and in frictional engagement with the walls of the enlarged central portion of the magnet slot, said pin including a pointed pinning portion pivotally connected to one of said upstanding arms, and a pin receiving lock carried by the other of the upstanding arms and normally maintaining the pin portion in a position generally paralleling the base of the pin. 2. A golfing aid comprising:

(a) a cylindrically contoured magnet having generally parallel front and rear walls,

([2) the magnet having a pin receiving slot extending forwardly from the rear wfll towards the front Wall and terminating therebetween, (c) a pin having a base portion disposed in the slot in press-fit engagement With the Walls of the slot, said pin projecting rearwardly past the rear wall of the magnet,

(d) a paramagnetic wafer carried by the magnet; and, (e) the pin base portion and the slot including enlarged central portions co-acting together to hold the pin and the magnet in permanent press-fit engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Frazier Apr. 16, Stupell Oct. 31, Engstrom Nov. 7, Nedell Feb. 8, Barbieri Feb. 22, Cummings Apr. 8, Baker June 24, Goodman et al May 12, Clark Nov. 9, Lederer July 3, Hausmann May 3, Pruitt Apr. 11,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 31, 

1. A GOLFING AID COMPRISING, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICALLY CONTOURED CERAMIC MAGNET HAVING FRONT AND REAR FACES, THE FRONT FACE OF THE MAGNET INCLUDING AN ANNULAR OUTWARDLY PROJECTING DISC RECEIVING RIDGE DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE MAGNET, A FLAT DISC OF PARAMAGNETIC MATERIAL CARRIED BY THE MAGNET IN ABUTMENT WITH SAID RIM, SAID DISC HAVING A REAR FACE IN SUCH ABUTMENT AND AN ENGRAVED FRONT FACE IDENTIFYING THE OWNER OF THE GOLFING AID, SAID MAGNET INCLUDING A SLOT EXTENDING FROM THE REAR FACE TO A SLOT BASE WALL INTERMEDIATE THE FRONT AND REAR BASES OF THE MAGNET, SAID BASE WALL BEING FLAT AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FRONT AND REAR WALLS OF THE MAGNET, SAID SLOT INCLUDING GENERALLY PLANER SIDE WALLS DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE BASE AND EXTENDING FROM THE BASE TO THE REAR WALL OF THE MAGNET, EACH OF SAID PLANER SIDE WALLS INCLUDE AN ENLARGED CENTRAL PORTION CONTOURED TO THE SHAPE OF A SEGMENT OF A CYLINDER CONCENTRIC WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE MAGNET, A PIN HAVING AN ELONGATED BASE AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING ARMS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BASE, SAID BASE INCLUDING SPACED PORTIONS ADAPTED TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE PLANER PORTION OF THE WALLS AND AN ENLARGED CENTRAL PORTION BETWEEN THE SPACED PORTIONS, THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE PIN DEFINING SPACED SEGMENTS OF A CYLINDER AND IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WALLS OF THE ENLARGED CENTRAL PORTION OF THE MAGNET SLOT, SAID PIN INCLUDING A POINTED PINNING PORTION PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID UPSTANDING ARMS, AND A PIN RECEIVING LOCK CARRIED BY THE OTHER OF THE UPSTANDING ARMS AND NORMALLY MAINTAINING THE PIN PORTION IN A POSITION GENERALLY PARALLELING THE BASE OF THE PIN. 